Welch returns to Congressional energy committee

Burlington  U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D) will return to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce in the 113th Congress and has been appointed to the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. He will remain a member of the House Democratic leadership team as a chief deputy whip.

Welch previously served on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the 111th Congress where he played a leadership role in passing health care reform, climate change, and energy efficiency legislation.

Nine Democrats, including Welch, were dropped from the committee in 2011 when Republicans gained control of the House.

Appointed by for Speaker of the House, now the Democrat minority’s leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Welch is also joining the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. The Committee is the policy arm of the House Democratic Caucus and makes recommendations to Leader Pelosi on Member committee assignments.